What Will It Take?
by butitcanbe
Summary: The Newsroom Will/Mackenzie Post The Greater Fool What will it take for Will to forgive Mackenzie once and for all?
1. Chapter 1: Mistakes

Discalimer: I do not own the newsroom

This first chapter is mostly setting and I'm a dialogue whore so... Hope you like it. I have most of the next chapters written already so I'll update in a few days.

* * *

CHAPTER 1: Mistakes

That night Will went to his apartment to another sleepless night, the events of the past days loomed over him. He allowed the memories to run riot in his mind for a few minutes, giving in to the sensations that accompanied them. He couldn't stop thinking about them, from his bleeding out on his apartment over the damn antidepressants to finding out Mackenzie didn't hear the voicemail, to getting rid of the whole TMI scandals, to the sorority girl coming to work for News Night, to once and for all being able to put on a goddamn good news show.

Mackenzie appeared in his mind, her eyes bright. He sometimes found her self-righteousness obnoxious, but there was a part of him that wished he could be so self-assured, so confident in what they were doing. She was not conflicted. How was it that they were both so driven by duty to the show, and yet he could give it up in the blink of an eye while she fought tooth and nail for it?

As he tossed again on his bed he thought about the voicemail.

She hadn't heard it. All these months he thought she had rejected him when in fact she never even knew about the message. All the nights he spent hating himself for having sent it, regretting every word, regretting how she didn't feel the same.

It was such a relief to find out that she hadn't heard it, of all the stupid things TMI had done to ruin his life these past months, he was feeling kind of grateful for this. Actually, he was feeling extremely good about this, he wasn't ready for her to hear that message; hell, she wasn't ready to hear it and no matter how much her puppy eyes melted him to the ground. They just weren't ready.

His phone rang; Will picked it up immediately "who is it?"

"Billy" someone sobbed.

"Mac?"

"No Billy, it's me" there was only one other person in the world who called him by his nickname.

"Katie, honey, what's going on? Why are you calling so late?"

"I left him" the woman continued sobbing

"What? What do you mean? Left who?" Will stammered.

"Michael! Billy, I left Mike!" Katie clarified.

"Why? What happened?" Will asked worried

"He fucked this woman from work!"

"What? Oh my God, Kate, I'm so sorry, did you catch them?"

"What? No" Kate replied. "He told me himself, he came home from work and started crying and he told me- apparently it happened this morning. I just couldn't take it and I packed and got in the car. I'm coming down to New York, Billy. Can I stay with you?"

"You're coming right now?" Will sat up on his bed.

"Yes, I'm driving there; I'm going to get there in two hours or so."

"You really shouldn't be driving Kate, not in the state you're in" Will said worriedly.

"I had to get out, Billy. You must understand. Please let me stay with you."

"Of course you can stay; I'm not saying you can't. But did you call Beth?" Will knew Kate always told everything to their sister.

"Yes I did, she didn't pick up and then I remembered-"

"The cruise" Will finished for her.

"Yeah, she doesn't get back till next week"

"And Melissa?"

"No, Billy I didn't want to do that to her. She's in Los Angeles with her best friend; I don't want to spoil her vacation."

"Shouldn't she be going to classes by now?"

"Not yet, she doesn't start till September"

"Well, OK I'll wait for you. Please drive slowly, no need to rush here."

"I will. Thank you Billy. I didn't know what to do."

"Come on, what are brothers for? Love you. Drive safe."

"Ok, love you too."

Oh God, Mike. He was such an amazing guy; Will couldn't believe he would cheat on his sister like that. They always had such a happy marriage. If Will was honest, he wanted the kind of marriage they had. They were high school sweethearts, and it really seemed like they had been together forever. How could Mike be so stupid to mess with what they had?

* * *

"I had sex with somebody else because I love you, I know that sounds messed up, but it's the truth." Mackenzie pleaded.

"How can you expect me to believe that?" The pain he was experiencing didn't seem to have anything to do with what he believed or didn't believe what she might say now or not say. The mute fact of his sweet Mackenzie having lain down with her ex-boyfriend, of all people, of her having taken off her clothes and her underwear and opened her legs _repeatedly, _had embodied itself in words only long enough for her to speak them and for Will to hear them before returning to muteness and lodging inside him, out of reach of words, or reason, like some swallowed ball of razor blades.

"Say something, Billy."

"When did this start?"

"I don't know. Four months ago."

"Well, maybe you should just keep doing it" he said. "Maybe you should just go and be his press aid, while you're at it."

"Is that what you want me to do?"

"I don't know what I want."

"It's not at all what I want; I want to be with you". Mac tried to touch his arm

"Yeah, right". Will said, stepping back from her. "But not before fucking your ex-boyfriend for four months."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you said that already." Bitterness sweeping into his voice.

"I know, but I really am. I know I should have told you right after it happened, but I couldn't bring myself to do it." She started sobbing. "It's over, Will. You have to believe me; it is really, really over." Her accent thick with emotion.

"Except apparently I don't do for you physically what your ex does!"

"Ohh" she said, closing her eyes prayerfully.

"He may suck as a human being, but he's definitely winning on other fronts."

"OK" She said, squeezing her eyes shut tighter, her hands on her head. "Go ahead. Do what you have to do."

"Sorry, I thought you liked talking about him."

"OK" she grimaced, her eyes still shut. "Maybe you want to just get all your sarcastic remarks before we seriously talk about this. Do you want to just do that and get it over with?"

"Actually, Mac, I just want to _strangle_ you right now."

"OK. You can do that. It would sort of be a relief from what I'm feeling."

"I don't actually have anything else to say." He announced defeated. "I think we've pretty much covered the main points."

She nodded "Good."

"Except I don't want to see you again. I don't want to be in the same room with you again. I don't want to hear that person's name again. I don't want to have anything to do with either of you. _Ever_. I just want to be alone so I can contemplate having wasted two years of my life loving you."

"Yes, Ok." She said, nodding again. "But also no? No, I don't agree to that."

"I don't care if you fucking agree."

"I know you don't. But listen to me." She sniffed hard, composing herself, her tears had softened her face and reddened her lips and made her very pretty, if you cared about her prettiness, which Will no longer did.

"Will, I want to stay with you- I still want to stay with you. I know it must be horrible for you to have found out about this, I can hardly imagine how horrible. But I told you because I decided to stay with you; I want us to work through this, please. Please, Will, I want to stay with you, don't do this, please don't do this." She reached for him.

"Don't. Don't you fucking touch me" Will hissed flinching away _"You_ did the worst thing you could possibly do to me" He stated. "_The_ worst thing and knowing very well it was the worst thing, and you did it anyway."

"I'm sorry, Billy" she said weeping afresh. "I'm so sorry you see it that way. I'm so sorry this happened."

"It didn't _'happen'_. _You_ did it. You fucked Brian."

"For God's sake, though, it was just sex, just stupid sex. What's that compared to love?"

"Love? You want to talk about love now? How about the fact that I did _nothing_ but love you? Look" he said, calming down. "I don't want to shout anymore, but you have to help me here and not be disingenuous about what you did or why you did it, or I'm going to shout your fucking head off."

"I'm not being disingenuous, Will. I love you"

"I mean it; you need to stop with that bullshit before I get more angry. I'm going to leave the house and I don't want you to be here when I get back." His voice cold with disdain.

"I know, I know." She said "I know you want me to go. I understand. But I have to tell you one more thing before I go, just so you know. I want to make sure you know that it's like being stabbed in the heart for me to leave you, Will. It's like having my skin ripped off my body." She cried.

"You'll get over it" Will said coolly.

"Maybe, but do you see what it means that I'm feeling this? Do you see what it means about who I love? Do you see what's really going on here?"

The sight of her pleading eyes became, at that moment, so painful, that he began to shout in spite of himself. "And whose fault is that, Mac? Why wasn't I enough for you? Why did you have to fuck somebody else? Who was it that _always_ needed more time to think it over? How much fucking time do you need? Do you think there's _anything_ that you just said that's going to make me forgive you? Do you think I didn't _know_ you were like this every _fucking_ minute of the time? And love you anyway, because I couldn't help it!"

"That's not fair, oh that's not fair, Billy"

"Fuck fairness, and FUCK you!" He slammed the door behind him as he left.

* * *

"Kate" Will said opening his door.

Kate went straight for his arms, hugging him fiercely. Will somehow managed to close the door.

"It's going to be ok." Will whispered while he stroked her hair back from her face. She looked like she had aged twenty years. "Let's get you settled."

Kate let go of him and took her bag with her, Will showed her his guest room, this was no time to talk, she needed rest.

"Thank you, Billy" Kate tried to smile.

"It's nothing, try to sleep Katie, we'll talk in the morning."

She nodded and began unpacking. Will could see that her clothes were obviously packed in a hurry. He closed the door and went to his kitchen. He decided that as he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, he might as well eat his bacon sandwich.

* * *

Will woke up on his sofa to the smell of eggs. His eyes shut open and he saw Kate serving breakfast. For a moment he thought he was 12 years old and his mother was setting the table. He rubbed his eyes and stood up.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Kate waved at him, although there was a smile on her face, her eyes looked red and a little bit swollen. Will waved back and went to his bathroom. There, he brushed his teeth and splashed some water on his face. He didn't even bother to look in the mirror, he knew he looked terrible.

He went to the dining room and sat down; Kate was already eating her breakfast.

"Why did you sleep on the sofa, Billy?" Kate asked as she put her glass of juice down.

Will didn't answer right away; he was enjoying the food too much. It had been a long time seen he actually ate breakfast. So used to toast and coffee to get him through the day. "I was working on some stuff and I fell asleep."

Kate looked up, she didn't believe him. How was it that she could always see right through him? "The food's really good" Will tried to change the subject.

"Thank you" Kate led that one slide "It's the least I could do for letting me stay with you."

"It's nothing Kate; you would do the same for me"

"Yes I would, I have actually" Kate tried to smile at him. Will immediately looked down; this was not the direction he wanted this conversation to go this early in the morning.

"What did you put on these eggs?" he tried again.

"Oh just salt, really" Kate let him off again. "So, do you have to get going, what time you go to work?"

Will looked up from his plate "I… I actually wasn't planning on going to work, not until later in the day, I thought you might need me."

"Thank you, Billy but that's really not necessary. You have to go to work" She insisted.

"No, I don't, my little sister needs me." Will took Kate's hand across the table.

Kate held onto his hand like a lifeline. "I'm sorry, Billy" Her eyes watered.

"You have nothing to apologize for, come on." He smiled. "Remember that time you had to rush Mel to the hospital because I gave her strawberries? The _one_ thing she's allergic to!"

Kate smiled. "See? You really shouldn't be apologizing; I was the one that almost killed my own niece!" Kate started laughing.

Will called Charlie and told him he had a family emergency and would be arriving late for work. He called Lonny too and asked him to pick him up later in the day. For now, he was going to spend the rest of the morning with his sister.

* * *

Mackenzie got into the newsroom early as usual and saw that Will wasn't in his office. She started working on assigning the stories of that night and her mind got so caught up in it that she didn't notice when Charlie came into her office.

"Mackenzie" Charlie called.

She was startled "Charlie! You scared me I didn't see you there." She breathed heavily.

"Come up to my office, Reese wants to talk to you." He gave her a look.

"Oh God, now what?" she said rolling her eyes.

"I'm not sure yet, but with Reese is never good, is it?"

"No it isn't. Is Will coming too?"

"He was called as well but he isn't here."

"He's not here yet?" Mac asked frowning.

"No, he called and said he had a family emergency. He'll be getting here in about two hours- at least that's what he said." Charlie muttered.

"Family emergency? None of Will's family lives in New York."

"That's what he said, why would he lie?"

"I don't know. It just seems unlikely is all."

"Well you'll ask him when he gets here. Now follow me." Charlie said turning to leave.

"You could have just called me up on the phone, you know?" Mackenzie said still sitting at her desk.

"Yes" Charlie said turning around "But that would have meant I would have to spend a few more minutes with Reese. He's already in my office waiting for us." He grinned.

"Ahh, then do you mind if I make myself a coffee first?" Mac said mischievously.

"Not at all, make me one too."

* * *

"Budget cuts?" Mackenzie asked.

"If you're not going to care about the ratings then we have to make budget cuts to sustain this whole thing." Reese stated.

"But what does that mean exactly?" Mackenzie asked settling down her coffee on Charlie's desk.

"It means less money for your show" Reese said in a condescending tone

"I know what budget cuts are!" Mac said enraged "I meant, what am I supposed to do about them?"

"_You_ have to fire some personnel and get interns to do the job for free." Reese explained.

"What? You can't expect me to do that, who am I supposed to fire? We're already tight as we are!"

"I don't care, just look for a work that's easy, fire that person and get an intern to do it."

Mackenzie was feeling completely exasperated, how could Reese be so cold hearted. "Look" she said, trying to compose herself. "We already have interns doing most of the work, and by the definition you just gave me the only people I can fire are some reporters and a few of my technical staff, I can't do that, those are people who followed me here from Washington and I won't do that to them."

"I could care less about the people who followed you here; you have to fire someone, _today_."

Mackenzie heard all this but couldn't really process it. It had been a long time since something made her feel so shitty, she was going to have to fire someone today.

* * *

As Mac lay by herself after sex, she sank down into sadness and loneliness. She began to silently cry for Will. They had spent so few nights apart over this year that she'd never had a chance to miss him and appreciate him the way she missed him and appreciated him now. As Brian slept beside her, she started gathering her things in the dark room; she dressed and left his apartment.

Driving that night had been very difficult over her tears, at one point she had to stop in the middle of a deserted street and try to calm herself down, she finally made it home and went straight to bed, curling herself up and smelling him in the sheets. Sleep finally came, giving an end to her torturous feelings.

"Good morning, honey" Will kissed her cheek.

She opened her eyes to his smiling face and for a second everything was perfect, he was finally home and he loved her and they were happy. But then thoughts of last night rushed to her mind and she had to hide her face in the pillow before Will saw the guilt.

"I'm jealous" Will said

Mackenzie froze "What?"

"You were getting to sleep this whole weekend while I had to give 4 seminars and catch the redeye to New York. I'm exhausted" He explained, lying down next to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry Billy." She whispered calming down. "But you can sleep now"

"I'm sorry I couldn't spend this weekend with you. I really am- it would have been a lot more fun than having to talk to mindless college students."

"It's ok, Billy." Mac said hugging him

"No it's not, it was your birthday and I couldn't spend it with you". He said kissing her head. "I'll make it up to you next year, I promise. We'll go on vacation, just the two of us." He held her tighter.

Mackenzie wanted to cry.

* * *

"Mac?" Charlie asked concerned

She snapped out of it, shaking her head in defeat. "I'll find someone to fire by the end of the day."

"Good" Reese nodded.


	2. Chapter 2: Getting to Know You

Disclaimer: I do not own The Newsroom

* * *

CHAPTER 2: Getting to Know You

Lonny came knocking on his door at around noon. "You ready?" Lonny asked.

"Yes, just let me put on my coat." Will went into the hallway and knocked on Kate's door.

"Come in" Kate said.

"I'm going now, I'll be back at around 10, hopefully 9:30. We'll have a late dinner." Will said

"Ok, Billy. Have a good day." Kate smiled.

"You too." He closed the door and stepped into his living room.

"And your coat?" Lonny asked.

"It's August I don't need a coat" Will replied.

Lonny rolled his eyes and opened the entrance door. They got into the elevator and went down to the parking lot.

Upon arriving to Will's car "What the fuck?!" Will yelled dropping his briefcase on the floor. The car had been sprayed with red paint, the windows were broken and on the hood it had written 'RINO'. "I really thought they had better security here!"

Lonny was now on his cellphone talking to some sort of supervisor as far as Will could tell.

They both got on the elevator again and Will opened his apartment.

Lonny started pacing in the living room "OK, we'll wait _here_ until the company sends a car, it'll be a half an hour at least but we have to make sure to- "

"Kate!" Will called.

"You got a woman in here?" Lonny asked searching around the room.

"Kate!" Will ignored Lonny

"Man, how do you get these women, seriously?"

Kate finally came into the living room.

"Where did you park? I'm afraid I'm going to have to use your car." Will said.

"You're going to take the lady's car? Real classy" Lonny mocked him.

"Why, what happened?" Kate asked worried

"My car broke down" Will lied "Where did you park yours?"

"I left it around the corner, who are you?" Kate looked at Lonny.

"He's my bodyguard" Will answered

"Lonny Church, nice to meet you." Lonny held his hand out.

"Kate McAvoy" she said shaking his hand.

Lonny looked at her with wide eyes, then at Will.

"She's my sister for Christ's sake!" Will snapped.

Kate started laughing still holding Lonny's hand "Oh God, no I'm not his wife!" She said shaking her head.

Lonny calmed down. Kate let go of his hand and took her purse form the kitchen table.

"Here" she gave her car keys to Will. When she was close she said in his ear "Why do you have a bodyguard?"

"Long story, tell you over dinner?" Will asked.

"You better" Kate said.

Lonny and Will got into Kate's car, and they finally made it to the ACN building.

As Will walked into the newsroom, Mackenzie spotted him immediately and she followed him into his office.

"Why are you so late? I was expecting you an hour ago!" She said walking in.

"Jesus, I just got here, give me a minute, would ya?" Will said sitting behind his desk.

"What _happened_?" Mackenzie asked.

"It's none of your business, Mac"

"It is my business when the managing editor and anchor of the show arrives late!" Mac countered.

Will took out a cigarette, buying time.

"Will, why are you so late? And why won't you tell me why?" Mac put her hands on her hips.

"It's a family matter, ok?" Will said, trying to be as vague as possible.

"What family matter? All your family lives far from New York!" Mackenzie emphasized.

"Mac, do you really want to know so badly?" Will lit up his cigarette.

"Yes!" Mac sighed.

"My sister left her husband, there now you know" Will finally answered.

"Your sister? Which one?" Mac asked

"George, Mac. My brother George left her husband" Will said.

"Well you do have two sisters, Will" Mac said matter-of-factly

"Yes, but only one's married!" Will yelled.

"Kate!" Mac said in realization. "Wait… Kate left _Mike?_" Mackenzie asked in disbelief "That's not possible" she said waving it off.

"It is, and it happened" Will said smoking his cigarette.

"You're talking about Mike, the _perfect_ husband?" Mackenzie asked incredulous.

"Yes Mike" Will said exhaling the smoke "The nicest guy _ever_ turned out to be a cheating scumbag" Will said looking directly at Mac.

Mackenzie's eyes went wide

"He had an affair?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking at her feet.

"From what she told me he slept with a co-worker" Will sighed.

"This must be so hard on Kate; they've been together, what? 30 years" Mac estimated.

"Around that number" Will agreed

"So… you talked on the phone all morning? Is that why you're so late?"

"No, she came to my apartment" Will stated

"What?! Did she drive there?"

"Yes" Will said.

"From Boston? That's a 4 hour drive Will" Mac stressed.

"I know"

"I guess she really left him" Mac sighed.

"Yes, apparently intolerance to cheating comes in our blood"

A silence passed between them.

"I can't believe you just said that" Mac said stunned. "Why do you have to make everything about us? We're talking about Kate"

"I really didn't mean to say it, I was thinking it, but I wasn't going to say it" Will disclosed.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Mac asked.

"No" Will said.

"Of course not." Mac breathed "Look, Reese asked for a meeting this morning, we're getting budget cuts and I have to fire someone today" She started to leave

"Who you're going to fire?" Will asked

"I don't know yet" Mac said as she left his office.

* * *

"The Federal Reserve offered incredible low interest rates for two more years- an unprecedented step to arrest the alarming decline of the stock market and the economy. Wall Street roared its approval and finished a wild day with a 429-point gain". Sloan ended her news segment

"Thank you Miss Sabbith, Terry Smith is coming up next with the Capitol Report. This is News Night. I'm Will McAvoy. Good Night."

"Good show everybody" Mackenzie called to the control room.

As everyone was leaving Mac turned to Joey "Joey I need you to stay behind, I have something that I need to talk to you about"

This felt so awful, Mac felt her chest constricting, she wasn't cut out for this kind of job, she just couldn't do it. She hated Reese for putting her in this position.

Everyone had left the room and it was now only Joey and her.

Her mind was going a mile a minute and she felt her heartbeat speeding up.

"Joey" She said taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you that-" Oh God, she could see in his face that he knew what she was going to say "I'm so sorry, Joey. The show's getting budget cuts and I—I'm so sorry…" She couldn't even say it; she couldn't say the words to him. She at least owed him some clarity- she had to be able to say the words "We're going to have to let you go, you're being fired."

* * *

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that Kenzie, Reese's an ass and we all know it." Sloan reached out to her friend. "Hey, I'm sure that with the recommendation you gave him, he'll find a job in no time. Come on, drink up" She said handing her a beer.

"Tomorrow I have to tell Jennifer- the new intern, that she's been promoted to Graphics Producer" Mac said taking a gulp of her beer.

"You're giving it to her? Does she even know how to make graphics?"

"I'll have to teach her—did you know that's how I started in this? I was a graphics producer!"

"Yes I know Kenzie." Sloan said.

"If you could have seen his face" Mac drank some more

"Ok, we need to change the subject _now_" Sloan insisted "That couldn't have been the only thing that happened to you today, right?"

"Why did you have to remind me?!" Mackenzie slapped Sloan's shoulder.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know you had such a crappy day!" Sloan said reclining on her seat.

"Will" Mac stuttered.

"Here we go" Sloan rolled her eyes. "What happened this time, did he refuse to tell you the rest of the voicemail? _Again._"

"No, is not that. You know how he came late for work today."

"No, I don't. I don't actually watch his _every_ move."

"Well, he arrived late for work today, Sloan! His sister left her husband and now she's staying with him. The point is that Mike cheated on her-"

"Who's Mike?" Sloan asked in confusion

Her husband—now, he's explaining this to me—"

"Explaining or you coaxed it out?" Sloan raised her eyebrow.

"I coaxed it out—we're _talking _about his sister and her cheating husband and he turns the conversation about us!"

"To punish you…" Sloan finished.

"Yes! Again, I mean I know I deserve it-"

"You don't deserve it Kenzie! It's been 4 years- the man needs to get over himself! He loves you and he keeps punishing you and I just don't get it!"

"He doesn't love me" Mac said dismissively

"Yes he does"

"No, he doesn't"

"Yes, he does. That's what makes this so sick!"

"How do _you_ know?"

Well it's like that movie said, or was it a book? Whatever, the point is that the opposite of love is not hate it's _indifference_. And Will is anything but indifferent to you.

"That was Elie Weisel" Mac said.

"Who?"

"That quote" Mac sighed "is not from a movie or a book is from holocaust survivor Elie Weisel, he wrote it in a US News & World report"

Sloan reached out to take Mac's hand. "I'm going to ask again. Why can't it be fixed?"

"I don't know" Mac said.

"Do you know how lucky you are that the man you love actually loves you back?!"

"I'm sorry Sloan, I don't know what to tell you." Mackenzie said holding onto her friend.

"I don't understand, why can't you fix it?"

"I can't fix it; I was the one that _ruined_ it in the first place." Mac said sighing. "I did the worst thing that I could have done to him, knowing it was the worst thing and I did it anyway" Mackenzie quoted.

"What do you mean knowing?" Sloan asked "What you did was really bad, but it was so long ago, he's being unreasonable." Sloan insisted.

"I know it was the worst thing because he told me."

"What do you mean he _told_ you?"

"He told me that cheating was _the_ worst thing a woman could do to him."

"He _said_ that? Why would he say that?"

"Because I asked him." Mac said.

"You _asked_? God, you two do belong together. "Why would you _ask_ a thing like that?"

"It was a game, on our first date." Mac explained.

"Some game." Sloan said.

* * *

Will was staring at her so intently that it was making her skin itch. She reached for her wine glass and drank generously from it. It burned going down her throat. From working with him every day, she knew she needed to put distance between them. Every time he touched her, she felt unsettled, flustered, and giddy. It was too much to deal with while she tried to produce the best news show she could.

When she had set the glass down, Will took her hand and began playing with her fingers. Mac decided that she would have to act now or she would lose her nerve. Looking directly at him, she fired her opening ammo.

"If I am to date you, things will have to change. I've enjoyed our little banter at the office, but I'm not going to be some girl on the side. I deserve more than that."

He looked surprised at her outburst, but he still kept caressing her hand, so she removed it, placing both of her hands in her lap.

"And we move _slowly_." Mac stated.

"I always took you for the dominating type. I like it." Will said.

She gave him a stern glance.

"So, Mac, what is it that you suggest we do to entertain ourselves?" Will asked.

"I was hoping to get to know you better, so I thought we would just talk." Mac said. "You can ask me any question you like, about anything, and I will answer, but only if you will answer the same question, and you have to answer truthfully." Mac explained.

"And what about you?" Will asked.

"I would like for the same rules to apply for me. But, if there's a question _you_ don't want to answer, you don't have to. But you only get to do this three times."

"And why do I get a pass?" Will asked

"I have nothing to hide." Mac announced.

"And you think I do?"

"I know your reputation, Mr. McAvoy."

"Then why are you here?"

She stared at him pointedly, and for a second she felt as if she were looking right through him. "I don't believe everything I hear."

Refocusing on the task at hand, he said, "I will only skip a question if you do."

She raised her chin obstinately, and her eyes sparkled dangerously. "I won't."

"Then I won't either. How will we know if we're saying the truth? Will asked.

"We will just have to trust each other." Her eyes looked at him searchingly, and her voice softened as she asked him, "I can trust you, right?"

And before he could come up with some clever evasive remark, the words "I have no intention of lying to you, Mac," tumbled out of his mouth. For a brief moment, Mac thought she saw something like sincerity soften his face, but then it disappeared behind the cavalier grin which covered his face as he spoke his next words. "At least not tonight."

"Good."

The waiter chose that instant to bring their main course. The smell of the chicken nearly made her mouth water. Much to his amusement, she dug in with gusto. "This is delicious. Maybe next time I'll allow you to choose the food again."

"So you'll let me take you out a second time?"

"If you want." Mac said taking a bite of her chicken.

Will decided it was time for the inquisition to begin. "So, Mac, what's your favorite color?"

She blinked in surprise. "That's your first question?"

"Yes, color please."

"Green. You?" Mac asked

"Blue. Do you have any hobbies?" Will asked.

"Reading, watching movies. The usual. You?" Mac asked

"I play the guitar." He added a wink for emphasis.

"I'd like to hear that sometime" Mackenzie smiled.

"You will. And I do occasionally read." Will said drinking some of his wine.

Have you ever been in love?" Mackenzie asked.

"Once or twice; when I was younger. As you can see, it had no lasting effect. You?"

She leaned over the table, placing her chin in one of her hands. "I have never been in love. Where did you grow up?" Mac asked

"In a little town outside Nebraska. Where did you grow up?"

"All over the place really, I was born here but my father's work made us travel, we spent almost a year in South Africa, then some months in Australia and Canada, and my mum had a house in the West End of London—I mean not the West End, but West London, Notting Hill, where we used to spend our summers and Christmas." Mac rambled.

"So you're a posh girl." Will smiled taking a bite of his steak.

"Yeah well, I suppose you can say that". Mac allowed

"You were born here?" Will said drinking more wine

"_Yes_, is that so hard to believe?"

Will swallowed as fast as he could "So, you're American?"

"Yes, I thought you knew that". Mac said frowning.

"No I didn't, I just thought you were a very well informed British woman".

"All this time and you didn't know I was from here?" Mac asked incredulous.

"No, I just thought you had lived here for a very long time. Your accent- how was I supposed to know?"

"I don't know, I just thought everybody knew". Mac said eating some of her salad

"Now everybody knows" Will smiled.

"Any siblings?" Will asked

"No, only child. You?"

"I have two sisters and one brother".

"Wow, full house! that must have been fun". Mac smiled raising her glass of wine.

"Yeah, some of the time". Mackenzie could see that his eyes went somber.

Ok, most embarrassing moment in the last year? Mac tried to lighten the mood

"Well that's easy, when I asked you out last week." Will said avoiding her eyes.

"What? That doesn't count, nothing embarrassing happened; you asked I said yes, end of story".

"Well you obviously didn't notice but I was actually very nervous" Will said

You thought I was going to say no?

"I didn't know what you were going to say! You just broke up with that guy and I've always wanted to ask you out but I didn't know if it was the right time and I—I was really nervous" Will started rambling

"Really?" Mackenzie asked.

"Yes." Will said

"I still think it doesn't count, Will. Nothing embarrassing happened."

"Well, why don't you answer first and that way I get more time to come up with mine."

"Ok, McAvoy but you better come up with something, I'm not going to be the only one with a story" Mackenzie said. "This happened to me about two weeks ago I think. I went to this bar and they have a glass door to step out onto the porch. I didn't realize the door was shut, and walked straight into it!"

Will started laughing.

The worst part was that I was stone cold sober, but the bartender refused to believe me and cut me off before my first beer." Mackenzie finished

Will laughed harder and Mackenzie joined him.

"Ok enough, now _you_ have to tell an embarrassing story, William"

"Fine. Well this isn't recent, but I took tap-dancing lessons when I was 11."

Mackenzie started laughing "You wanted to learn tap?"

"Not really, my sister Kate was afraid of going alone to her classes so I accompanied her." Will explained.

"Oh what a good brother" Mac smiled.

"Yeah I guess. The shoes were killing me, _that_ I remember." Mackenzie started laughing again.

"Do you remember any steps?" Mac was dying to know

"Oh no, I'm not drunk enough to do that"

"Will" Mackenzie gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

"No, I'm not going to dance. Stop looking at me like that, it's not gonna happen." Will said shaking his head.

"Please" Mackenzie leaned over the table

"No, I really don't want to. Please stop looking at me like that."

"Very well, McAvoy, no dancing tonight." She reclined back in her seat.

"Ok next question, worst college experience?" Will asked eating more of his steak.

"Well I would have to say that my first day was pretty horrible, I didn't know anyone, it rained and I didn't have an umbrella, I only got to two of my classes because I kept getting lost, I was not prepared at all". She laughed "How about you?"

"I corrected my Criminal Law professor, _big_ mistake—I barely passed that class"

"Ouch. How about best experience?" Mac asked

"Getting to live away from my house" Will said

"That bad?"

"Yeah, but that's a story for another time, not a first date." Will said drinking from his glass.

"Ok, fair enough. My best experience would have to be just the classes, getting to finally study something I wanted to learn, you know?"

Mac leaned over resting her hands on the table and looked straight into his eyes "Are you a Republican?"

"Yes" Will confirmed.

"I knew there had to be something wrong with you" Mac said shaking her head

"You're a liberal of course" Will reclined in his chair

"Always have been" Mac smiled

"This relationship is doomed, why even start with this gigantic obstacle?" Will said sarcastically.

"Because you could end up with something beautiful" Mac said serious. "My parents are on opposite ends of the political spectrum. For 40 years they've cancel out each other's votes, but they have a great marriage".

"How'd they manage that?" Will asked.

"They found something they cared about more passionately… than politics" Mac said.

"What was that?"

"Me" Mac smiled. "Have you ever had your heart broken?" Mackenzie dared to ask.

"My first serious girlfriend cheated on me with my roommate, how's that?" Will said

"Oh you caught them, didn't you?"

"Yes, in my bed to be precise"

"Oh that must have been horrible"

"It was, that's actually the worst thing a woman can do to me, I can't stand it". Will said drinking his wine. "How about you?"

"Well you know that I dated Brian for a long time—he dumped me. Although I'm not sure if my heart broke, I think it did" Mac said airily.

"If you're not sure, then it didn't break; you will definitely _know_ when that happens."

"_When_?" Mac asked frightened.

"_If_ it happens" Will reassured her

"Ok, that makes sense." Mac said brightly

* * *

"He was right about that" Mackenzie sighed "I _knew_ with complete certainty and without a doubt when my heart broke" Mac took another gulp of her beer. "And the worst part is that I did it by myself and not only did I broke my own, I ripped out his". Mac cried

"Oh Kenzie, how can he forgive you if you don't forgive yourself?" Sloan said to her friend.

"I don't think I can" Mackenzie wept.

* * *

Well, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter hope you like it. I'm going on a trip this week so I'll update next week hopefully. Any thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3: On your side

This is a short one, sorry. Life has been crazy lately! I've been on a trip and now I'm back and I have to catch up on all my classes :/

I haven't said this before but to me Kate is Laura Linney, why? because 1. She's the right age 2. She's blonde 3. When I started writing this I had just seen The Squid and the Whale and 4. Because I love her!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Newsroom if I did it would be coming back in January

CHAPTER 3

Kate had spent the afternoon making a risotto and Will came home to find dinner on the table. He could get used to this.

"How was your day, Billy?" Kate asked as she served him some risotto.

"It went well, nothing really interesting happened" Will answered, grabbing his plate and setting it on the table.

"Did Mackenzie ask why you were late?" She asked as she poured him the wine

"Yes she did. How did you know?" Will asked eating some of the most delicious risotto he had ever tasted.

"She may have been your girlfriend but she was also my friend, Billy" Kate answered putting the wine bottle on the table "Did you tell her about Mike and me?"

"Yes, she was very persistent, you know how she gets. Was that ok?"

"Yes, of course. I don't mind you telling her" Kate said taking a bite of her food

"Ok, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tell" Will hesitated

"It's ok, Billy. I'm not going to be telling lies about what happened" Kate said

Will took a good look at his sister, she had bags under her eyes and her blonde hair looked lifeless as it fell on her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?" He offered

"Not yet, Billy. I don't' think I'm quite ready to talk about it without becoming an emotional wreck" Kate smiled weakly

"I understand" Will sighed "Just know that I'm here for you, Katie"

"I already know that" Kate smiled

"Good" Will nodded

Kate stared at him, watching him eat "Do _you_ want to talk about it?"

"Noo!" Will answered "I mean, only if you want to" He quickly mended "I'll listen to anything you want to tell me" Will said settling down

"No, I didn't mean Mike, I meant Mackenzie" Kate explained

"What about her?" Will said gripping his fork and trying to remain calm

"Do you want to talk about her?" Kate said calmly

"No" Will shook his head

"How's it working with her after what happened?" Kate inquired

"Kate" Will said begging her to drop the subject

"You did some of your best shows with her as your EP" Kate continued

"I don't want to talk about Mackenzie" Will said violently taking a bite of his food

"Do you think she's still in love with you?"

Will chocked on the rice and started coughing. He drank some wine to pass the food.

"Cause you're still in love with her" Kate stated

Will spat the wine and started coughing again "Would you" _cough_ "stop" _cough_ "saying things like that" _cough "_while I'm trying to eat" _cough, cough_.

"Sorry, I'm just being honest; you _are_ still in love with her, aren't you?" Kate said raising her glass of wine "I just want you to be happy, Billy" she drank her wine.

"It's very complicated, it's not-" Will was interrupted at that moment by the ringing of the phone. He sighed and started to get up from the table.

"Please don't answer that" Kate said

Will settled down in his seat "Is that Mike calling?" Will signaled the phone

"Yes" Kate sighed "He's been calling all day"

"And you haven't answered any of his calls?"

"No, I don't plan on talking to him on the phone"

"But you _are_ planning on talking to him?" Will asked raising his eyebrows

"Yes, when he comes to get me" Kate drank her wine

"What do you mean, 'when he comes to get me'?"

"I'm waiting for him to come _here_" Kate explained

"You're waiting on your cheating husband to come to my apartment and take you back?!"

"That's the whole reason I came here, Billy. I went away so that he could come after me"

"Are you out of your mind?" Will asked raising his hands on the air

"I love him, Billy. I've been in love with him since I was seventeen years old." Kate looked down to her plate "He's the man I love and I'm not about to throw all that we've been through, all that we have out the door because of a stupid mistake"

"He _cheated_ on you!" Will yelled

"Yes I know. He cheated on me and it hurt me, it really hurt me, you have no idea how much." Kate's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "But he's still the father of my child, he's still the only man I've ever wanted to be with and the only man I'll ever be with" She took a deep breath. "He's the love of my life" She put it simply.

"How can you forgive him?" Will asked stunned

"I don't know if I've forgiven him, but I want to try, this is what relationships are, Billy. They're messy and complicated and painful but I'm willing to try because I love him and I know that he's sorry, I just need him to prove it. I need him to come here, to come to this apartment and tell me to my face that he loves me and that he regrets what he did"

"I just don't understand how you can be with him again!" Will said standing up

"Just because _you_ can't forgive the love of your life doesn't mean I can't!"

It was as if something had just ran over him, he felt his chest constricting, his hands felt clammy; there was a ringing on his ears-no wait, that was the phone. Kate stood up from the table; her movements seemed very slow, deliberate, cautious.

"And don't tell me you don't understand because I know you William and you understand completely, you just won't admit it." Kate said with a fierce look in her eyes. "I can't even imagine how much that girl's suffering over you, Billy. You always asked how could she do this to _you_, but the truth is that she did it as much to herself as she did it to you. She went to freaking Afghanistan, Billy!" Kate yelled "and you should have gone after her"

"It's not the same!" Will finally found his voice "Mike cheated on you once, she cheated and lied to me for four months!" Will tried to defend himself

"What does it matter if it was four months? She told you the truth, she loves you! Don't you remember how good you were together?"

"You know what Kate? Will said disdainfully "I don't need _you_ to remind me how good we were, ok? I _know_ we were good together, I remember it _every day_. I remember that I'd never felt about a woman the way I felt about her, I remember that I have never felt that way since! And it's fucking painful, you hear me? It fucking hurts to know that I felt that way about someone and she threw it right to my face, she screwed it all up and now I'll never feel that way ever again!"

"You don't understand!" Kate insisted "This isn't _about_ you! Have you _ever_ considered her feelings at all? Are you really that delusional?!"

"Her feelings?!" Will asked in disbelief "You're my sister, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"The sad thing Billy, is that I _am_." She sighed "I _am_ on your side and you just can't see it" Will heard what she said, but he couldn't quite grasp it, he knew she was getting at something, something he may have known already; unfortunately, he had buried that knowledge deep inside him, far into the recesses of his mind since he had seen Mackenzie for the first time after three years on that rainy day in the newsroom.

Kate rounded the table, her food left unfinished -she took the wine bottle and walked into the hallway that led to her room. Will picked up the table, put the plates in the dishwasher and went to his room as well. There, he changed into his pajamas and got into bed trying not to think too much about what his sister had said.

Mackenzie, he could almost see her in this very room, the care in her eyes and the warmth in her smile, her wild imagination smarting behind her gaze, and her creativity flowing freely off her lips.

Will started kissing her with abandon; his hands went behind her back pushing her tighter against him. "I never thought I'd get to be with a woman like you" he said kissing her neck.

"What do you mean a woman like me?" Mac asked as he did wonderful things to her pulse.

"I mean like you, Mac" He said as he kissed her shoulder

"How like _me_?" She asked confused.

"Like you are, a woman like _you"_.

"What _kind_ of woman am I?" Mackenzie questioned

He grabbed her around her waist "I never thought I'd get to be with someone as intelligent" he kissed her cheek "hardworking" he kissed her other cheek "optimistic" he kissed her brow, "kind" he kissed her nose "challenging" he kissed the corner of her mouth "and beautiful like you" he finished stepping back.

"I never thought-" He said closing his eyes "I never thought" he started again scanning her face "that I'd _ever_ get to be with the woman of my dreams" he breathed

He stepped closer and cupped her face "I never though she even _existed_ until I met _you_" He took her face so firmly in his hands that she forgot to breathe, the both of them balancing on the edge.

"I-" she gasped, but he pressed his mouth over hers.

The world around them fell to blissful pieces when he kissed her lips. A warmth grew rapidly within him, curling through his body, stirring a hidden river of strength and vigor deep inside. Everything he strived so hard to keep hidden throughout his life seemed to spill from his lips into hers as he kissed her. He had no secrets anymore, no reason to keep anything from this woman with whom he would share his soul.

He could hear her whimper as he moved his lips, and the soft sound filled his belly with fire and made his arms feel ten times as strong. Heat and love grasped him everywhere, and he emulated their grasp with his own two hands, holding Mackenzie closer and closer until she felt attached to his body.

When the bliss became too much to bear, he gently parted their lips, calming himself. "I love you, Mackenzie," he declared. For the first time ever, he was saying it out loud, and he wanted the world to hear it.

He felt a shiver sweep through her small body as he held her, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

She hadn't said it back, she hadn't said 'I love you too' and at that moment he was so happy he didn't realize. How had he been so stupid not to notice that? Will tossed in his bed, feeling this horrible guilt, maybe that stupid Rhonda was right and he was partly at fault.


	4. Chapter 4: We Were Not Nothing

Sorry it took me so long, I had a lot of fun writing this hope you enjoy it just as much.

I do not own the newsroom

* * *

CHAPTER 4

KNOCK, KNOCK

Will woke up with a start, his bedside clock read 8:57AM -he rubbed his eyes

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

"What is it?" He yelled to the door, throwing his covers and getting up from his bed

"Come outside!" Kate yelled

Will opened the door to find his sister holding a glass of wine, she did not look good.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked

"I was trying to sleep" Will said pointing his bed

"What are –I mean with Mackenzie and you know it" She said pointing him with her finger

"Maybe you should take it easy with that wine is 9 AM" Will said trying to take away her glass

"Oh, you're going to tell me what to do?" Kate said keeping her glass away from Will "No. I am going to ask you again, what are you _doing_ with Mackenzie?" She poked his chest "You're being stupid! You are being so fucking stupid, you idiot! You love Mackenzie, and you're letting her go? Fuck you, you stupid!"

"Oookay you really need to stop drinking, since when do you talk like this?" Will said snorting

"It's not funny, Billy". Kate said shaking her head

"Ok, fine". Will raised his hands in defense

"_What_ are you doing?" She asked again

"Look it's _not_ going to work out with us, we have too many problems". Will said

"I got news for you, Mike and I, we've had plenty of problems! In fact we're having one right now! But I'm not about to lose the war for a few battles!" She said raising her arms -miraculously not spilling any wine "You know what _you're_ problem is? Somewhere in the back of your mind you think that she'll always be there if you want to get back together, but you know what? She won't! 'Cause she's fucking perfect! And some lucky guy is going to see that and make it work with her instead of moping around like you do, wasting time!"

"Kate" Will grabbed her shoulders trying to calm her down

"I want to see her!" Kate snapped

"What?"

"I want to see Mackenzie! I haven't seen her in four years because of you!"

"Are you insane?" Will asked

"I want to see her, William. I am not joking, you bring her home today!"

"I'm not gonna to do that!"

"You're going to ask her here or so help me God I will burst into the newsroom and drag her from her office!"

"Are you _serious_?" Will asked incredulous

"Wanna bet?" Kate said angrily

"What's gotten into you?" Kate turned around without answering, leaving Will dumbfounded. "Hey! If I bring her here tonight you better get it together!"

"I will" Kate said without turning

* * *

"You would not believe the last couple of days I've had" Will said putting his hands on his face "I mean after the broadcast on Monday- you saw it right?"

Dr. Habib nodded

"Well after the broadcast I've received a hundred new death threats –which of course is to be expected; but yesterday they trashed my car!" Will said standing up

"Are you ok?" Will started pacing around the office and the doctor followed him with his eyes.

"I don't care -I can buy a new one" Dr. Habib didn't mean the car but let Will keep on talking anyway "Monday night my sister Kate calls me –she '_left_' her husband and so she's staying with me -but then it turns out she didn't really leave him, she's waiting for him to come get her –if _that_ makes sense. Last night she yells at me for not forgiving Mackenzie and this morning she forces me to bring her home tonight –the woman has lost any sense of reality. And to top it all off I found out that Mackenzie didn't even get the message!" Will had been talking really fast and when he finished he had to catch his breath.

"What message?"

Will froze, he had been so caught up in his story that he forgot no one knew about the voicemail "what?"

"What message? You said that Mackenzie didn't get the message, what message?"

"Doesn't matter" Will said waving it off

"It _does_ matter, you said 'to top it all off' that means it's what matters most to you, what message?" Dr. Habib asked reclining on his sofa

Will sighed rubbing his forehead, he walked to the couch and sat down "The night we got bin Laden –I was high during that broadcast" Will looked up, expecting a reaction from the young doctor but he gave none "and when Mackenzie found out she of course didn't want to let me go on –so I asked her, to please let me do the show, I told her that I wouldn't let her down and she accepted" Will smiled. "I think I gave one of the best shows of my life that night and emotions were running high and so when I got home I called her but I got her voicemail" Will cradled his face in his hands "and I just had to tell her" Will sighed "I _had_ to tell her"

"Tell her what?"

"That I love her" Will breathed

"You told her you love her on a voicemail?" Dr. Habib asked raising his eyebrows

"A voicemail she didn't get"

"And you just found out about that?"

"Yes" Will nodded

"You should have told me about this voicemail sooner. This means that since May you thought what? Didn't you wonder why she never mentioned the voicemail?"

"I made the stupid mistake of telling her that if the answer was no, not to mention it at work."

"What do you mean 'if the answer was no'?"

Will sighed taking again his head in his hands "I asked her if we could try again"

"My God, why would you ask that on a _voicemail_?"

"A voicemail she didn't _get_" Will emphasized

"And how did you find out she didn't get it?"

"I can't really give any details –it has to do with my work, but basically I asked her about it and she denied ever hearing it"

"So she knows you left her a message?"

"She knows _about_ the message but she doesn't know what it says –although it didn't took her long to realize its basic content" Will said with a smirk.

"So she knows you said something important?" Dr. Habib asked

"Yes, she pestered me about it all Monday night"

"And you haven't told her what it said?"

Will shook his head

"Why?"

"I'm not- I don't think I'm _ready_ to tell her –all this time I've hated myself for leaving that message in the first place, and now that I know she didn't get it…"

"But you were able to tell her four months ago, what's changed?"

"I-" Will didn't know what to say

"You're scared. You're scared she might reject you again" Dr. Habib stated

"I honestly think you don't understand how hard this is for me" Will said shaking his head

"You should have told me about this message, Will. Don't you see? Dr. Habib asked leaning forward on his sofa "Everything I've said about how you can't take betrayal is true but since May you've added rejection to that"

* * *

Mackenzie woke up that rainy Wednesday morning with a slight hangover from last night; she tried to stay hydrated, even taking a bottle of water with her into work.

She went straight to her office, finishing reading the reports that were going to be presented to her during the pitching in a few hours. The first to arrive as always was Jim -he waived at her from outside her office and started to work. The second person to arrive was Jennifer or Jenny as she liked to be called. Mackenzie went to welcome her and took her to the control room where Herb taught her the basics while Mac taught her how the graphics system worked and in no time she became familiarized with the software.

Will wasn't in a good mood when he came into the newsroom, she could see in his face that he obviously hadn't slept much. The pitching meeting flowed easily, they were all more confident knowing that they didn't have to worry about ratings or Will getting fired, they were putting together a true news show tonight.

After the show Mackenzie had to stay for a little longer correcting some of the reports that the new interns had given her, they were getting to be a lot of work and the whole thing made her feel like a school teacher. Her phone rang

"Hi Dad" Mackenzie smiled into the phone

"Hi darling, how are you?" Her father asked

"I'm fine, just a little stuck at work at the moment. Why are you calling so late?"

"Oh nothing, your mum went to sleep and I just felt like calling you"

"Is she giving you a hard time?" Mackenzie laughed

"Yes, the woman won't let me eat anything I like!"

"It's for your own good, Dad! You need to stick to the diet" Mackenzie reprimanded him

"I'll do my best, dearie. Are you still coming on Saturday?"

"Yes, of course" Mackenzie heard some rustling over the phone

"Oh, dear! I woke up your mum" Mackenzie laughed

"Who the bloody hell are you calling so late, John?" Mackenzie heard her mum in the background

"Our daughter, go back to sleep!" Her father yelled,

"I want to talk to her!" Her mother retorted, Mackenzie couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. After some more rustling "Darling, how are you? Have you eaten?" Her mother asked in that sweet voice of hers.

"Yes, mum. I'm ok. I haven't eaten yet but everything's _fine_" Mackenzie reassured her

"I saw the Monday broadcast, darling. Such a good job, I'm so proud of you"

"Thank you so much, I knew you'd like it" Mackenzie smiled

"You just keep fighting that Tea Party, dear. Those are not true Republicans!"

"I will, don't you worry, Mum"

"Penny, I was the one that rang her, give me the telephone back!" Mackenzie heard her father say

"_I'm_ talking to her, now!" Her mum countered "Well, dear your father wants the telephone back, and it is quite late. I love you, and I hope to see you on Saturday"

"Love you too, Mum" Mackenzie replied

"Here, take it" her mother said

"Hi again, dearie. I just wanted to say goodbye" Her father said

Mackenzie heard a knock on her door "Come in" she said without looking up

"Bye Dad, I'll see you both on Saturday. Love you" Mac said into the phone

"Love you too, Mackenzie" Her father hung up the phone

"What are you still doing here?"

Mackenzie looked up to find Will standing in front of her desk. "Uh- I'm reading the reports from the new interns -they need a lot of corrections" She said while putting her phone away

"Ok, but you can do that tomorrow morning, right?" Will asked awkwardly swaying on his feet

"Well yes" Mac said "But I can also do them _now_" she rationalized

"No you can't" Will said

"Of course I can" Mackenzie said confused

"No you can't, 'cause you're coming to dinner at my place" Will said without looking at her eyes

"What?"

"Kate wants you to come to dinner" Mackenzie opened her mouth to say something but Will kept talking "She wants to see you -she cooked that pasta you love so much" Will said huffing.

Again Mackenzie opened her mouth "I'll wait for you in the lobby" Will quickly said, turning to leave

Mackenzie remained seated; she had not expected that _at all. _Will had just invited her to dinner, at his place –yeah but at the request of his sister, she reminded herself. Still, she was having dinner at Will's apartment.

Mac shut down her computer and gathered her things, she was feeling rather nervous about having dinner with Will, but the thought of seeing Kate calmed her. She had always liked Kate, from the moment she met her she was nothing but kind to her. She shut down her lights, closed her office door and got into the lift.

* * *

"Hurry it up, Mac" Will called to her from her living room

Mac scrambled to organize everything in her backpack, the towel was a major obstacle and she kept pushing it to make it fit.

"I'm sorry Will. I thought that meeting wasn't going to take so long" Mac yelled back "I thought I'd have time to come back here and pack" Mackenzie kept pushing the towel -she should have packed it first. She decided then to throw everything out and put the towel in the bottom.

"We're leaving two hours late Mackenzie, could you finish already? It's only for two days, how many clothes do you need?"

She was finally able to zip up her bag and went outside to find Will sitting on her couch.

"Do you have sunscreen?" She asked

"No, I don't think so" Will shook his head

"I can't find mine" Mackenzie said

"I'm sure my sister has some on the house" Will said standing up "Let's go" He said taking Mackenzie's bag from her.

Mackenzie turned off the lights and closed her apartment. Will was holding the elevator. They got into his car.

The drive to The Hamptons took them a little less than two hours, being a Sunday and this late at night the roads were mostly empty; it was close to 1am by the time they arrived. The house was very beautiful, two stories, a lovely patio with a pool and a fence surrounded by stunning pine trees and bushes.

Will was on the phone "Kate, we're outside" he said

In no time a blonde woman and a very tall brown-haired man came outside of the house. Will and Mac both got out of the car, and while Will went to get the bags from the trunk she was left to greet these strangers.

Feeling rather nervous to be meeting Will's family like this, Mac waved a little as they came towards her. "Hi, I'm Mackenzie"

"I'm Kate" the woman went to give her a hug "Billy has told me all about you" she said holding onto her arms, a huge smile on her face that Mac couldn't help but return. "He's crazy about you" she said with a wink, Kate let her go and turned to the man next to her "This is my husband Mike" She said grabbing his arm

"Nice to meet you Mackenzie" He said shaking her hand

"Nice to meet you too" Mac smiled

Will was coming with their two bags and Mike went to him, both men hugged each other tightly and Kate took Mackenzie's hand, taking her inside the house.

"Ok, we need to be real quiet, 'cause the girls are all asleep" Kate indicated.

"How many are there?" Mac asked

"Her three best friends. Today was a hassle; they have a lot of energy" Kate whispered as they tiptoed up the stairs. They took a left and Kate showed her a lovely room with a queen bed, all warm colors and its own bathroom.

"So…" Kate started saying "There's this little problem with the AC, well not the AC, it works fine, but the thing is that the remote got lost yesterday and it turns on when you plug it, but you can't change the temperature"

"Ok, so it's going to be cold" Mac deduced

Kate nodded "That's why I put you so many covers and if you want more they're in the hall closet just take as many as you want" Kate assured her

"I'm sure we'll be ok" Mac smiled "Thank you"

Will stepped into the room with their bags

"Ok well I'm sure you're tired so I'll leave you to it" Kate started to leave

"Night, Kate" Will said to his sister

"Night, Billy" Kate closed the door

Will dropped the bags on the bed and kissed Mac holding her around her waist.

"I think we're going to have a great time" Will said kissing her again

"Me too" Mackenzie yawned "I'll go put on my PJs" She went to get her bag and started undressing and Will did the same.

"Oh, the remote of the AC's lost so we can't change the temperature" Mac explained as she settled on the left side of the bed.

Will huffed "Are you serious?" he got into bed as well

"Yes, so you have to hold me or I'll get cold" Mackenzie put her arms around him

"Is this some sort of trick you're pulling?" Will laughed "Did you hide the remote to get me to cuddle with you?"

"No, I'm serious, Will. Your sister told me" she said holding him tighter

"You know, all you had to do is ask, you didn't have to go through all this trouble" Will said holding her against his chest

"I'm not making it up!" Mac slapped him

"Be quiet, there are children sleeping" Will chastised her

"I'm not making it up" she whispered this time

"Ok, ok, I believe you" Will said smiling

Mackenzie slept soundly through the night; she always did when she slept with Will. In the morning they woke up to the smell of bacon. Will was first in the shower as he knew Mac liked to sleep a little more.

She felt a kiss on her cheek "Morning beautiful" he smelled like soap and she hugged him keeping her eyes close and breathing him in. She let him go, got up from the bed and went to shower. As she came out of the bathroom in her swimsuit, she was delighted with Will's red face. She put on a t-shirt and blue jean shorts on top of her bikini and they went downstairs, Will was holding her hand.

"Good morning" Will called to the crowed dining room, the food looked absolutely incredible, there were pancakes, bacon and eggs, orange juice, coffee and her eyes landed on a huge fruit salad bowl that Kate was just setting on the table.

The big rectangular table fit them all together. At the end sat Mike, next to him Kate took her seat and next to her two girls, across from them there were other two girls and she guessed that the one next to Mike was Melissa; her blonde curls giving her away.

Will took out the chair next to the other girl and Mackenzie took a seat.

"Uncle Billy!" she had guessed right, Melissa threw her arms around Will's neck and hugged him fiercely

"Happy Birthday Mel!" Will hugged her back "You're getting old, how many years is it, 30?" Will mocked her

"I'm 14!" Melissa corrected him, giving him a stern look

"My God, fourteen" Will said soundly kissing her on her cheek

Will returned to his seat, brushing her shoulder as he passed her by.

"Grab whatever you like" Kate said smiling at her

"Thank you, the food looks delicious" Mac smiled back grabbing some fruit salad and a couple of pancakes.

"You're English?" Melissa asked her as Will served her some orange juice

"No, she's American" Will answered before she had time to turn her head towards the girl

"My parents are English but I was born here" she elaborated

"Cool, I like your accent" Melissa smiled

"Thank you" Mac felt her face getting warm

"I like it too" Will smiled at her

They finished eating and all the adults helped pick up the table while the girls went to the pool. In the kitchen, Mike started washing the dishes as Will and she dried them. Kate took everything and put it in the right cupboards as they didn't know where everything went. They looked so much like each other Mackenzie noted, their eyes and noses, obviously their hair -she wondered how they were as children.

They had the radio on and sometimes Mike and Kate would sing along to the songs, they made a great duo. For most of the songs they already had some sort of nonverbal agreement on who would sing which verse and they joined together in the chorus, it was quite lovely. Will would make fun of Kate for missing the high notes and she would push him and keep singing anyway.

Suddenly, Will grabbed her around her waist and they danced together while Mike and Kate sang. She couldn't stop laughing as he made her twirl and twirl, she was getting dizzy and when he stopped, she stumbled against him and he caught her in his arms, the most beautiful smile plastered all over his face.

Something built up in her in that instant, but she couldn't put it into words. She saw his warm blue eyes staring at her and it was too much.

They all went outside to the pool to find the girls playing volleyball, Mike had to go into town to buy the meat they were going to eat the next day. Kate sat on the lounge chair while Mackenzie and Will went for a walk around the terrains of the house.

"I like your sister" Mackenzie said to Will

"I'm glad you like her" Will said putting his arm around her shoulder

"And her husband" Mac said snuggling closer to Will

"Mike? Yeah he's an amazing guy. She's known him her whole life"

"Really?" Mac turned to look at him

"Yeah. They started dating in high school, can you believe that? I remember him coming to our house all nervous for their first date -I put the poor guy through hell!" Will said snorting

"Oh God, Will. It's awkward enough being a teenager"

"Hey! He was dating my little sister. What was I supposed to do?"

"I guess you're right" Mac said

They returned to the pool were Kate was sitting on the edge. All the girls were swimming in the bottom of the pool when suddenly one of them came up triumphantly with a quarter in her hand

"I got it!" the girl said handing the quarter to Kate

"Ok, now turn around all of you -close your eyes, no picking!" Kate said holding the coin in her hand. The girls did as she commanded and they all went to the other side of the pool covering their eyes. Kate tossed the coin to the center of the pool and waited until it sank, Mackenzie watched marveled.

"Ok, now!" all the girls turned around and dived into the pool searching for the coin.

Mackenzie sat next to Kate watching the girls swim around searching for the quarter.

"How did you come up with that?" Mac asked

"I don't know –had some change in my pocket" Kate shrugged her shoulders and Mackenzie laughed

This time, Melissa came up victorious.

Mike finally came back with enough meat to last a week.

"Thank you, honey" Kate said to Mike

"I'll just leave this in the freezer and then we'll go to the beach" Mike said kissing his wife and going into the kitchen.

They all gathered their things and got into the cars, Will's niece wanted to ride with them and she took her friend Emma with her. They were both in the back singing along to the songs on the radio when Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" started playing, they all sang together, Mackenzie couldn't stop laughing at Will.

They finally made it to the beach and it turned out that Kate did have sunscreen

"Of course, I have to give the girls back to their parents tanned not sunburned" Kate laughed giving her the bottle.

Will was settled between her legs, his back was to her chest, and she rested her chin in the curve between his neck and shoulder. His hands rested on her knees and moved against the sensitive skin while she had her hands together over his stomach. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky and the sand felt very warm against her skin.

The girls were all in the ocean, Mike had a surfing board and he took each of the girls on the board. Kate was swimming too.

"Let's go in, ok?" Will proposed, standing up and offering his hand

"Why don't you go in?" Mac said

"Aw, come on, come with me" Will said again offering his hand

"I don't really feel like it"

"Why? Aren't you hot in this sun? Come on"

"Will I don't want to"

"Why?"

"I don't know how to swim"

"Sure you do, there's a pool in your gym where you swim sometimes" Will said bemused

"Well then, I just don't want to"

"Really, why?" Will asked sweetly

Mackenzie had just ran out of excuses so she just might as well tell him "Jellyfish" she whispered

"I'm sorry" Will made a gesture that he hadn't heard her

"Jellyfish! I don't like the ocean, there are jellyfish in it!"

"Are you serious?" Will asked taken aback

"Yes" Mackenzie sighed "When I was a little girl I went to the beach with my parents and a Jellyfish stung me, I've never felt a more agonizing pain"

"You don't need to worry about jellyfish here, look at the girls out there, they're having so much fun" Will said pointing to where the girls, Mike and Kate were. "Are you going to let a stupid jellyfish that stung you years ago, take away your enjoyment of the sea?"

"I—uh". Mackenzie didn't know how to answer to that, she bit her lip and looked behind Will where the girls were, they were all laughing and swimming, they were having a great time "You're right!" She realized taking Will's hand and standing up

"That's my girl!" Will said kissing her on her cheek

As they walked down the beach the girls, Mike and Kate were coming back.

"We're gonna go buy them some ice scream, you guys want anything?" Mike asked them as they passed each other on the sand

"I don't. You?" Will asked Mac

"No thank you, Mike" she replied. They kept walking towards the ocean, the waves were crashing and the wind was blowing her ponytail.

The water was really cold as they both made their way to deeper waters -Will was walking behind her, keeping his hands on her waist. When the water reached her chest they stopped and Mackenzie turned around to face him putting her arms around his neck. Will lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him.

"Ok, new rule -when we're in the ocean you have to stay like this with me" Will said

"Oh really? Don't I get to swim around?" Mackenzie asked biting her lips

"No" Will shook his head

"No even for a bit, what about that part you said about enjoying the sea?" Mac said pouting.

"You get 2 minutes tops, then you have to come back" Will conceded

"Ok, I can live with that" Mac smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. There it was again, the same intense feeling she felt this morning, she felt like her chest was going to burst.

They all went back to the house and played board games, then Kate came into the room with a cake and they sang Happy Birthday to Melissa.

The next day, 4th of July Mackenzie asked if she could help Kate in the kitchen while the guys grilled some steaks and hot dogs out in the patio.

"Ok I'm going to let you do the BBQ sauce" Kate smiled

"You _make_ the BBQ sauce?"

"Yes, you've never made it?"

"No, I buy it" Mackenzie laughed

"Well, I'm going to teach you how to make it, it's really easy. You don't have a problem chopping onions do you?"

"I'll start crying like crazy but I'll do it" Mackenzie said

"Do you wear glasses?" Kate asked

"No" Mackenzie shook her head

"You can have my reading glasses. It won't stop you crying completely, but it helps" Kate said as she went to her purse and handed her the glasses.

Mackenzie started chopping the onions, Kate was right, it did help but her eyes started watering a couple of minutes later.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" Mackenzie asked

"Oh, I just taught myself" Kate said while mashing some potatoes "my mother was an amazing cook but she didn't really take the time to teach me, although I do admit I must get it from her" Kate smiled

"I've always wanted to learn but I don't have the time or the skills to actually be a decent cook" Mackenzie said accommodating the glasses back on her face, her vision a little bit fuzzy.

"I would tell you it just takes practice, but I don't really believe that, sorry. Although, you're doing a great job with those onions give yourself some credit"

"Not just yet, let's wait and see how this sauce turns out" Mackenzie grinned

"You make him really happy" Kate said out of nowhere

Mackenzie stared at Kate who was still mashing the potatoes "He makes me happy too"

"I'm serious, I can't remember the last time he was smiling like he does with you" Kate said looking down to her bowl of almost mashed potatoes.

Mackenzie didn't know what to say to that so she concentrated on finishing with the onions

"Will told me you've been with Mike since high school" Mackenzie looked up from her handiwork

"Yes, I've actually pretty much known him my whole life, he was –is, my best friend. We were friends, and I didn't see him as anything else until he confessed he was in love with me!" Kate said then she scrunch up her face "God, I was such an ass to him, I had no idea, I went to him with all my problems, I cried to him over guys –Gosh the poor man took everything I threw at him" Kate said taking a deep breath

"How did you know you were in love with him?" Mackenzie asked

"I think I always knew, I just didn't realize it" Kate said

* * *

"The food was absolutely delicious, honey" Mike said holding Kate's hand and kissing it.

The BBQ sauce turned out ok, if Mackenzie thought so herself. By the time they finished eating it was almost 3pm which meant that the match was about to start.

"Are you seriously going to spend this beautiful day hashed up in here watching some soccer game?" Kate asked Mike and Mackenzie

"Please don't call it soccer" Mike pleaded "It's football, and it's not 'some soccer game' it's the World Cup!"

"Fine, World Cup. But seriously Mike, look outside" Kate said pointing to the sliding doors where you could see the pool. Melissa sat on Emma's shoulders and they were trying to knock the other two girls' team down.

"They're having their fun, I'm having mine" Mike said pointing at his own chest "Kate, I told you I was going to watch this game, it's Italy against Germany. _My_ country against Germany" He said pointing at his chest again

"You're second generation Italian Mike, don't give me that crap!" Kate said raising her arms.

"Once Italian _always_ Italian" he said proudly

Kate rolled her eyes while Will stood with an amused face beside her.

"And what about you, Mac? Is not _your_ country" Will asked her

"Who said I was watching because it's my country, Will?" She raised her eyebrows "It's football, I was raised by English, this can't seem like a surprise to you"

"I never understood soccer" Will commented to his sister

"Don't call it soccer" Mike repeated

"Baseball on the other hand…"

"Shut up!" Mackenzie and Mike yelled at the same time

In the end Will and Kate went into the kitchen, and they would come out every time, she and Mike screamed -which was quite often, the game was incredibly close, so closed they had to go to time extra and at the last two minutes Italy scored two goals, winning the game and taking them to the finals.

Mackenzie got out from the lift, Will stood reclined against a wall, Lonny was beside him and they waited for her to reach them. He opened the door for her and they all got into Kate's car.

* * *

Well, next up: Dinner with Kate

Any thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated


	5. Chapter 5: Dinner to Go

Wow sorry for not updating for so long! but here goes nothing...

* * *

CHAPTER 5: Dinner to Go

Will opened his apartment door and let her in first, Mac followed the fantastic smell coming from the kitchen and there was Kate –golden hair hurriedly tied in a bun, sleeves pulled up as she was cutting some bread, a long flowing skirt that reached her bare feet and when she turned around the biggest smiled that had greeted her in a long time.

Kate dropped everything and hugged her tightly; her warmth was as delightful as the smell of the food. Mac couldn't help but bury her head in her shoulder, eyes shut tight, her purse falling off from her shoulder and balancing on the curve of her elbow. In the background she could hear Will closing the door and his steps coming closer.

Kate let her go first, cupping her face in her hands and beaming at her "Hi" she said

"Hi" Mackenzie smiled.

"It's been too long…"

"Yes, it has" Mac agreed.

"How are you?" Kate asked letting her go

"I'm ok" Mac said nodding

"Are you?"

"Yeah…" Mac nodded again

Kate stared at her for a moment and Mackenzie decided she hadn't believed her, then she turned her back "Dinner's almost ready, you can just go wait on the table"

"Can't I help?" Mackenzie asked eagerly

Kate turned to look at her and her eyes softened, "of course" she said nodding -she understood.

"Well I'm gonna leave you two, you obviously don't want me here" Will said walking backwards towards the hall that lead to his room. Mac watched him close his door and turned to look at Kate, who was shaking her head.

"He really is something" she muttered

Mac walked closer to where she was on the kitchen table "What can I do?"

"You can grate the parmesan cheese. It's on the fridge" Kate said

Mackenzie opened the refrigerator and found the cheese quickly, she closed the door, grabbed a plate from the cupboard and the grater from a drawer.

"You really know you're way around here" Kate said looking at the stuff she was carrying.

Mackenzie hadn't even realized that she still knew where everything was; "Yeah…" she said putting everything on the kitchen counter next to Kate and starting to grate the cheese.

Kate finished cutting the bread and she put it on a platter. "How have thing's been at work? Billy doesn't really talk about it"

"They've been good" Mackenzie nodded, "although…" Mac didn't know if she should tell her about the whole TMI business, Will probably didn't want her to know.

"Although what?" Kate asked expectantly

"Will almost got fired last Monday" Mackenzie revealed.

Kate's eyes widened "What?"

"Um," Mackenzie bit her lip. "… It's ok now though, we fixed it and they're not going to fire him anymore" she tried to reassure her

"What? He hasn't told me any of this, Mackenzie!"

"Of course he hasn't, he probably didn't want you to worry" Mackenzie tried to calm her down

"Yeah, sure. The man can't share his feelings even at gunpoint!"

"You don't have to tell me" Mackenzie quietly agreed. "He had surgery a week ago, did he tell you about that?" Mac asked already knowing the answer.

"Surgery! Are you freaking kidding me?" Kate yelled.

"Yes" Mac nodded, "he was in the hospital for 6 or 7 days, I really can't remember –the days sort of blended together"

"You stayed with him, didn't you?" Kate looked directly at her eyes, daring her to contradict her.

"Yes, of course" Mac said avoiding Kate's gaze.

"Don't let him string you along Mac, I mean the guy's my brother and God knows I love him but he can be a real bastard when he wants to be"

Mackenzie didn't know what to say to that, of course she knew Will could be a complete bastard, she'd been working with that bastard for almost two years now. The thing is that sometimes the bastard took some days off and she got to spend time with the real Will, the one she fell in love with and she couldn't help but crave more time with him until hopefully one day he would forgive her and the bastard would leave for good.

Mackenzie finished grating the cheese and went to set it on the table while Kate served the three plates of pasta

"Food's ready!" Kate yelled towards the hallway

* * *

"Don't you remember a year ago at that interview with Diane Sawyer when he said he'd rather be a good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president?"

"Yes, Will I remember that -but do you really think that whoever wins the republican primaries will be a better candidate?"

"He hasn't done enough Mackenzie" Will retorted

"Yes, I'll admit he hasn't done enough but you can't tell me that 3 years ago the country wasn't worse than it is now. I really don't trust a Republican to not focus so intensely on the economic problem that they forget the people, Will"

"Focusing on the economics will help the people Mackenzie, it will help the country!"

"Not at the cost of the taxpayers, Will!" Mackenzie shouted "the republican candidates want to give tax breaks to people like you!"

"Mac, you can't deny that across the U.S. we are watching a roiling stock market and a stagnating economy. Obama needs a message and policy response as big as the crisis the nation is facing!"

"He has one, Will! Obama's toughening his demands for short-term jobs spending and drawing sharper contrasts to his Republican opponents both in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail –and before you ask, I've been over this with Sloan" Mackenzie said

"That doesn't stop the fact that the dollar rose against the majority of its major counterparts!" Will yelled back "the Federal Reserve's pledge for record low interest rates failed to convince investors global growth will be sustained, right now the dollar has held a three-day decline against the yen!"

"ENOUGH!" Kate yelled, she had been quiet during their argument but this was getting out of hand. "You're acting like children!" Both Will and Mackenzie turned to look at her stunned. "I make this beautiful dinner for her Bill and all you've done is antagonize her every chance you get!" Kate said raising her hands "Will you just _shut_ up!"

Mackenzie turned her neck to see Will with his mouth hanging open completely shocked. She was actually grateful to Kate for breaking up their discussion, but not because Will was "antagonizing" her, as Kate put it, rather because she loved arguing with him, she loved to see all that passion and energy in his eyes when he talked about the things he really cared about, she loved it too much.

Will turned to look at her "I'm sorry, Mac" he mumbled

"It's ok" she quietly replied

"Would you please try to be civil, Billy?" Kate pleaded

"I already apologized, Kate" Will said sternly

Mac looked between the two siblings, this was not the Kate she remembered, but then again, this wasn't the Will she remembered either -something was off between them and it sadden her that they had somehow lost their connection. "It's ok, Kate. Let's just enjoy the food" Mac tried to ease the tension

Will help up his glass of scotch and downed it in one gulp. Mackenzie started eating her food again and Kate did the same. Mac couldn't help but compare this dinner to that big barbecue they had on that 4th of July five years ago. She chuckled

"Something funny, Mac?" Kate looked up

"Not really" She shook her head.

* * *

Can I ask you a question, dear? Penny said as she poured her daughter some tea.

"No" Mackenzie quickly said half-joking.

"You never would have left Brian, would you?" She asked anyway as she sat down next to Mac.

"If he hadn't left _me_? No, I don't think so" Mac shook her head.

"But you weren't really happy, dear" her mother said leaning forward

"No" Mackenzie blew on her tea "But I just figured that was the life I'd picked, so I had to make the most of it. I'm not even sure I deserve a new life now," she sighed. "Sometimes I think that was supposed to be my one chance and I blew it." Mackenzie said drinking from her teacup.

"My dearest girl, where did you get this bad attitude?" Penny asked as she reached for her daughter's hand.

"The nuns? Yeah, I'm going to blame the nuns" Mac smiled

"Yes, let's blame the nuns" Her mother laughed. "I never wanted you in that school, dear. You must know that," she said squeezing her daughter's hand. What about this Will you've been seeing? She asked.

"Will… well he's a great guy. We've been friends for a long time –well, co-workers' more accurate. I always knew he had a crush on me," Mackenzie said sheepishly.

"That's sweet" Penny smiled "How many dates have you been on?"

"Oh, tonight is our fifth actually, he's cooking me dinner at his apartment"

"He can cook?" her mother asked

"I hope so" Mackenzie smiled

"What about your other dates?"

"Well, on our first date we had a great night -laughing, really talking"

"You had a chap _talking?_" her mother asked

Mackenzie laughed, "Yes, I sort of made it this big thing with _questions_ and everything"

"All right dear, but are we talking full sentences here or…" her mother trailed off

"Yes," Mackenzie nodded "he was really open with me"

"An open man who can cook and likes to talk…" her mother mused "this is a mythical creature Mackenzie" her mother shook her head in disbelief. Mackenzie laughed and looked nervously into her mother's eyes "What's wrong dear?"

"I don't think I'm ready for him Mum" She said wincing "he's looking for the whole dance and I'm just relearning the steps" Mac said stirring her tea with a spoon.

"Oh come on don't give me that, Mac" her mother reproached her

"I'm serious Mum, sometimes I feel he's too intense." Mac said looking up "He always calls me, he pulls out chairs for me, he asks me about my day, he gives me gifts, he takes me to amazing restaurants" Mac said exasperated

"Darling, I'm afraid to tell you that you need to raise your standards in men"

"What do you mean?" Mac asked confused

"You've found yourself a _real_ man and you don't know how to act because you've _never _been with a real man"

"That's not fair Mum, I've dated some nice guys" Mac said

"Not really, dear. You always manage to find these complete idiotic types, if you will. They were no good to you darling!" her mother chastised her

Mackenzie knew her mother was right but she didn't want to let her know that "still, he's too intense"

* * *

Her mother _had_ been right of course, glancing at Will she couldn't help but remember all the things he did for her, but at that time she was too closed off, too hurt, too scared to fall for him.

Mackenzie took a drink of her wine and her cellphone rang.

"Oh excused me, it's my mum" _thinking of the devil,_ she got up from the table.

"Hallo, mum?" she said into the phone, both Will and Kate were looking at her.

"Mackenzie, dear?" her mother said in a strained voice

"Yes?'" she asked nervous

"It's your father… he just had another heart attack" her mother said sobbing

"Oh my God, where are you, did you call an ambulance?" Mackenzie asked, her hands shaking. Will got up from the table, walked toward the closet in the entrance and started putting on a coat.

"We're _on_ the ambulance; they're taking us to The Presbyterian, dear" her mother informed her

"Ok, I'm on my way" she hung up the phone and realized that Will was already at the door

"I can take a cab, Will" she said looking for her purse

"I'm taking you" Will said handing it to her. Will opened the door and immediately stopped on his tracks to look at the man about to ring his bell "Mike?"


End file.
